Occupy Springfield tries to decide what’s next

A crowd of demonstrators estimated at more than 200 gathers Saturday at the Capitol to protest all sorts of things.

HOTO BY BRUCEâRUSHTON

The march through downtown Springfield two days ago had gone well, attracting more than 200 demonstrators to an Occupy Springfield protest for a few hours of chanting and waving signs in perfect autumn weather.

Now, on Monday, it is raining, and fewer than 30 occupiers have answered the call to gather outside Chase Bank at 7:30 p.m. to figure out what’s next. There are suggestions that the group occupy the Brewhaus across the street.

“What do we do when it rains the next time?” someone asks. “I don’t know – do we vote?”

Yes, occupiers most definitely vote, and nine-tenths consensus is needed to make a decision. This could end up being a long night.

The website is first on the agenda. How, occupiers ask, can they communicate amongst themselves, keep trolls at bay and still be transparent? There is talk of having one public website and another for the chosen few who will be issued passwords. Or maybe a message board that everyone can read but only a few can change. Benny Ha Ha – don’t ask his real name, he says, because no one uses his real name – is worried about cyber attacks.

“How do we keep it public but keep it from saboteurs?” he asks.

The next big thing will be a demonstration at the Capitol on Oct. 29. There is talk of launching an honest-to-goodness occupation, with folks staying at the Capitol 24/7 to make their point. Just what point they should be making needs to be decided.

Rather than start from scratch, the group goes down a list of a dozen demands generated by Occupy Chicago. Repeal Bush tax cuts, eliminate “corporate personhood,” limit the influence of lobbyists – it all sounds good until they get to the last point: forgive $946 billion of student loan debt.

“You’re going to look silly,” warns Scott, who says that he is 52 and a former stockbroker. “I’m not here to defend the banks. I’m here to defend personal moral responsibility.”

Lots of folks, all younger than Scott, have something to say now. It was between rent and school, one young woman says, and so she chose rent, and now she has no degree but still owes plenty on her student loan. The same banks that made loans to her and others who can’t get decent jobs, she says, are the same institutions that have gotten rich at the expense of nearly everyone else – the 99 percent, if you will.

“They signed a contract, where are the fucking jobs?” the woman says.

There is talk of demanding term limits and Michael Madigan’s resignation, and folks should buy local. The group decides they can fine-tune the list at a future meeting. Benny Ha Ha is all for occupying the Capitol and says that he can help secure food for occupiers.

After two hours, the meeting ends. It is a far cry from Saturday, when throngs of protestors walked around downtown, pausing at the federal building and Chase Bank to chant slogans but leaving U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s office and the Illinois Supreme Court unmolested.

Which isn’t to say there weren’t enough issues to go around. With temperatures in the 70s and a cloudless sky, it was a lovely day for a protest, and events began on the Capitol steps with the reading of a manifesto penned in New York aimed at establishing why everyone was here. Corporations, it seems, are the problem, with misdeeds that include discrimination, profiting from animal cruelty and donating lots of money to politicians.

There were as many signs as issues, some more clever than others: I Will Believe Corporations Are People When Gov. Rick Perry Executes One; End The Fed Arrest The Bankers Save The Repblic [sic]; End Plutocracy End Wars; Ron Paul President 2012; Bong Hits 4 Jesus.

Organizers acknowledge that not all occupiers will agree with other occupiers on all issues. Pro life, pro choice – it’s all good, organizers told the crowd.

“We all love freedom and we all love our country,” organizer Chris Trudeau said. “We can agree to disagree.”.

Comments

Old Comments

It's really disheartening how willing people seem to be to focus on the negative with the movement. Is it not at least a good thing to see people trying to participate in their democracy? Yes, it's disorganized. It has to start somewhere though. Give it a second. Maybe it will amount to something, maybe it won't. Gotta try something. It is at least more productive than sitting on your ass and scoffing. And as much as some of us would have liked to ask the 'bong hits for jesus' guy to go back to his x-box and let the rest of us try to do something serious, it was a public demonstration. Everyone is allowed, even if they are just being blatantly disrespectful and idiotic. Don't let a few idiots de-value the legitimate messages out there.

Looking at these pictures of the mixture of lost souls, communists, socialists and nazi’s is a little disheartening. Some are paid to be there by the socialists/communists calling for the ‘one-world government’ while others are just clueless as to why they're there other than someone said 'it’s cool.' This just exemplifies the failure of the ‘baby-boomer’ to keep and improve the America that the ‘Greatest Generation’ gave them. It’s time for the silent majority to wake up and get to work returning America to the values and work ethics that made her great. These losers, just shun them back to their dope dens and the insignificance they belong to.

I really enjoyed the article. I felt like it was very good because it was an honest description of the events that you captured, Bruce.

As you probably know, something like this hasn't happened for most of us in our lives before and it takes more planning and learning how to work together. That is not necessarily smooth, but the tea has been dumped into the ocean. Now we've got work to do.

Also, on some of the ridiculous signs, we do not wish to censor anyone besides any one willing to use it as a platform of hate speech or fascism. Naturally some people will intentionally try to dilute the message and add chaos to this, but anyone with eyes and ears can tell that the group of people out there were not like that one person.

I want to suggest people come to the Occupy Your State Capitol Event on saturday and be a part of another national push. more info to come in a press release.

oh, and I have to do this. just have to:

@stang52 - your whole world view and view on this group is, for a lack of better terms, highly laughable

at the comment about it being a bunch of communists, socialists, and nazis.

i can accept the first two are probably around, but nazis? I don't think so. That is hate and we do not accept that. I wish someone would pay us to be out there.... one - world government? don't think so?

what rock are you smoking? did you eat the funny blot paper?

we seem lost? i think we know exactly where we were and why we were there. Maybe people are discontent with the way that 'the greatest generation' left us, though. There is too much corruption in our government thanks to the $$$$$$$ games.

we shoudl go to dope dens? is that really how you feel about my generation as a whole? i don't do drugs. most of my friends do not do drugs!

I am there because it is right and we want to restore the values of this country. I am doing my true patriotic duty by standing up and fighting for my country when the rest of the country is asleep. I agree. Where is the silent majority?

As a member of the Occupy Springfield General Assembly I encourage you to tune in to something other than conspiracy theorists.

That may be the most insane comment I've ever read about the occupy movement.
BH

First of all, I applaud all the people who came out to protest--dissention is good and necessary to bring change. The student loan thing--no. If you borowed the money, you have a responsibility to pay it back--you're not guaranteed a job or anything. With that being said, your hearts are in the right place, but like many people you feel a real sense of "hopelessness." The President and Congress seem to have a carte blanche to do whatever they want, with no accountability. To find your compass, I ask you to take a courageous step and educate yourself on the bigger picture, and how this all comes into play. THe mass media you cannot trust. Visit INFOWARSdotCOM and PRISONPLANETdotTV and you will get more info and an "awakening" in one day than you could from the mass media in years. The "dumbing down" of America is deliberate. IF you truly are fed up, open up your mind (and I know this will really challenge your belief system folks) and absorb what's really going on in our country and around you (the police state, attacks on our Constitution, the whole agenda). Watch on YouTube: Fall of the Republic; Obama Deception, Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement; World According to Monsanto; What in the World Are they Spraying; American Dream (animation about Fed Reserve). You will understand why Ron Paul (especially after you're enlighted about the l"eft-right paradigm" is explained to you) is the ONLY choice for hope. Write your congressman (USAdotGOV) about Fed Reserve, recent bailout of Bank of America last week, indicting Bernanke, Geithner, and impeaching Obama, Fast & Furious, FEMA camps in USA, TSA, Super Congress and the Chemtrails (they were all over the sky on Monday). Read the "Creature from Jekyll Island" by G. Edward Griffin. You won't be disappointed. Become part of the resistance. God Bless all of you for having an open mind and be willing to listen.